Saawariya

A lot has been written and said about Saawariya. Majority of the critics and reviews have dismissed this movie! Well, I for one, almost gave it a miss (as it is I am not a huge fan of Mr.Bansali). But I saw the movie yesterday, and whoa-I was pleasantly surprised!!! It has to be, in my opinion, one of the most visually appealing movie of all time. I mean, right from the reel one, the movie speaks volumes about its grandeur. It is true delight on the visual senses.

So why have the critics darned it? Well, I think you have to view "Saawariya" in its own context. Comaprisons just cannot be made. It's like a book of fairy-tales. each page in the book is rich in illustrations and drawings. Just holding the book sometimes can take you in a world of dreams. This movie is precisely like that and has to be viewed in that context. The music adds to its flow-it is the part of the package.

Now to the performances: Sonam Kapoor has an angelic screen presence and her acting too is good for her debut movie. Ranbir Kapoor is a powerhouse of talent and a great screen presence too. For their first movie, the lead pair creates lots of magic! Salman Khan is barely there. Rani Mukherjee who plays a prostitute is awesome-I nearly fell in love with this prostitute!!! The movie does have some rough edges. At least a couple of sequences (including the ending) are way too abrupt! It's like the chef forgot to garnish his dish. All in all "Saawariya" is a movie that I think justifies my 8/10 rating. It is so visually appealing that one literally cannot take the eyes off! And it's not too taxing on the brains too-just a simple love story set in a far-far away land, narrated with flow and music, though at the end of it you might question the essence of Sonam's character. That to me was very baffling! Go for it!

Mvng slowly,but nicely taken. All credits goes to SLB.Songs are fantastic.....

Ranbir Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), a free spirited idealist – dreamer, arrives in a dreamy surreal town and joins as a lead singer in its swankiest club. Here he bumps into Gulabji (Rani Mukerji), a prostitute, who immediately falls for his naivety and innocent charm. One night he notices a mysterious girl standing alone on a bridge holding an umbrella. As he tries to strike a conversation, she shies away. But he still keeps following her and both end up becoming friends. This mystery girl, Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) forever carries a sadness in her eyes which leaves Ranbir intrigued. But so mesmerized he is with her that his every minute goes into discussing her with his land lady, Lillipop (Zohra Sehgal) and Gulabji.

Just when Ranbir is about to express his true feelings to her, she reveals the reason behind her unhappiness. She tells him she is waiting for her love, Imaan (Salman Khan) to return. A year back before leaving, he had promised that he would be back and meet her on the same bridge that he saw her waiting.

The word "Saawariya" means a lover. There was song sung by the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, many, many years back by the same title.

I don't know why this movie has been compared with "Om Shanti Om." The stories are completely different, even though the genre may be the same - love story and also being released on the same day - Diwali and also Ranbir Raj Kapoor dancing in the towel and Shah Rukh Khan showing his "six pack." But the two movies should not have been compared. The other difference, besides the story is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has directed some excellent movies such as "Devdas", "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Khamoshi - The Musical" and "Black", has launched two new stars - Ranbir Raj Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor and in the other - it has a super star and introducing Deepika.

Raj, gets Job to sing in a club in which there are prostitutes, one being Gulabji, with whom he becomes friends. He informs her that he is new in the town and has no place to stay. She gives him address of an old woman and tells him that she will allow him to stay with her as long as he is able to pay rent, etc. But one one night, after performing at the club, Raj meets Sakina in an empty street and falls in love with her. Its only later that he realises that Sakina is in love with someone else. The movie introduces two new stars - Ranbir Raj Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. The cast includes Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan and Zohra Saigal.

In many ways, "Saawariya" echoes some of the RK movies such as "Barsaat", "Shree 420", "Awara" and "Anari." It also has some echoes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's previous movies such as "Black" and "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam." While Ranbir Raj Kapoor has shown talent - naturally as he belongs to a well known filmy family and his parents being - Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, both actors themselves. But this did not seem to be the case with Sonam Kapoor, who has also shown some talent but not so much and even though she comes from a family that also is connected to the film industry - Anil Kapoor being her father, Boney Kapoor her uncle and Surendra Kapoor her grandfather.

The music by Monty Sharma is good and is worth while listening to as are the songs and especially the title song. This is not a typical Sanjay Leela Bhasali film, which would normally show some glitz, glamour and costume and Jewellery as he did in "Devdas." Nevertheless, it is worthwhile watching at least once.

For those interested, the two Kapoor families are said to be long distance relatives and at one time it is believed that Anil Kapoor and his brother were going to visit the late Raj Kapoor at his home. And Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor have worked together in a film by Yash Chopra entitled "Vijay." It is believed that the "RK Studios" could once again, after many years and that Ranbir Raj Kapoor will be in the movie. In the meantime, Sonam Kapoor, has already been offered to work in another movie, this time with Abhishek Bachchan.

Good luck to the two new comers.

I can't believe Saawariya was so badly received. First things first, the film is stunning, just stunning to look at. The set design, very European in style and arrangement, the beauty of the streets and the mirror-like lakes, the lighting, and the phenomenal camera work, are all evidence of tremendous production values which far overpower the film's actual content. Sometimes content is not all you want to see on film - the film is a true visual treat and sometimes it's good enough. But then the rest of it is not that bad at all, Bhansali's attention to detail on the technical front is matched by a narrative so whimsical and muscial that the film ends up working as a full-on fairy tale. I think the poor reception to the film reflected umatched expectations. To me, it is a fair romantic adaptation of Dostoevsky's White Nights which is not to be taken seriously content-wise but rather enjoyed.

Indeed, self-indulgent and a little overlong it is, but I really didn't care much because I myself was mostly busy indulging in how beautifully it was shot. The music by Monty Sharma matches the film's theatrical style and colour. The film introduces two young stars - both from different Kapoor family clans. Male lead Ranbir Kapoor is the main protagonist and does very well in his debut performance. Sonam Kapoor is incredibly pretty as Sakeena, his love interest who is the quintessential film heroine, the demure, pure, giggly young woman, and she does very well. Zohra Segal is also here and is very good. Salman Khan is a bit of a distraction, but Rani Mukerji is a delight all the way in a wonderfully playful performance, topping it with a great dance number, "Chhabeela". Saawariya is an overwhelming visual extravaganza, and to me, it is an absolute delight.

After you've seen this Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie; you'll probably forget how to say the title of the movie without singing it. I feel ashamed that following an over-flooding of my head with bad reviews on this movie, I actually watched it only when I was dragged to the cinema by a friend who believes in SLB more than me. And now I cannot thank the friend more for showing what I think is the best cinematic production in Bollywood ever. Don't hesitate to have high expectations since this one is made to beat them.

This movie is not a comedy- so comparing it with the parallel-released movie for the amount of laughs it gives you is hardly a fair evaluation. It's a musical based on the story by Fyodor Dostoevsky's "White Nights". It's the story of love- not the Soni-Mahiwal and Veer-Zaara type of love but just love. It's the love that just happens in a snap and sweeps you off your feet. It's definitely the type of love story that Bollywood has never narrated before. There's no family rivalry; no social drama; no unrealistic action; nothing except the love of Saawariya.

The debutant actors Ranbir and Sonam couldn't have started their career with better performances. While we'll have to wait and see how the newbies fair on the spectrum of acting when they do other films with hopefully varying roles; but for a start they completely make you believe in their characters in Saawariya. Sonam is a beauty- the type that you don't lust for because it's so pure- the type you fall in love with. And Ranbir has a disarming smile and a style that will easily get him inside every girl's dream. And with the first-time-ever portrayal of male sensuality in Bollywood in a song with him barely in the towel; Ranbir might be more than smiling in the ladies' dreams.

The movie boasts of a powerful cast besides the lead actors too. We have yet another jaw-dropping performance by Rani Mukherjee – her choreography in the song 'Chabeela' is amazing. Salmaan is playing a tough guy with little dialogues but fitting in this role perfectly. Zohra Sehgal is shining through remarkably as well. Most importantly, no body is dominating the screen over the others with a clichéd acting; the characters seem to gel together and you watch every scene believing in them and believing in the magic that the director is pulling in front of your eyes with many deeply thought over dialogues; subtle appearances; through the character's eyes; through the water and the weather and even the street lights.

The music score of the movie was great. Some of the songs that have accompanying dances are beautiful and the lyrics by Sameer are touching. Playback singers really draw your heart close into the sentiment of the song with their melodious voice with emotions and rhythm. Kudos to the two new singers Shail and Parthiv! The best of everything is still the dream-world like sets. When I saw the trailers; I felt it was too unrealistic to be good. But with the story that's meant to be a tale-of-love narrated by Rani herself; the sets were perfect to create the atmosphere of a delightful small town far away somewhere love has it's own magical dimension.

I give the movie an 8/10 for the new standard it has established in Bollywood; for the acting of every single actor in it; for the music; for the dances; for the picturesque sets; for the direction; for this movie being really good cinema. If the entertainment you are looking for is more than a few skin-deep smiles; this will be a treat! A treat not just for your eyes but for your ears too and it will even leave you with a warm thought when the credits roll at the end.